We decided to take a day long tour that started at 7:15am and ended at 6:15 p.m. Fortunately we had a very knowledgable tour guide named Tom. He provided us with extensive historical information on how the Polynesians came to travel some 2000 miles in outrigger canoes arriving on Hawaiian Islands around 500 A.D. Tom also had a lot information to share about the flora and fauna of Maui, from Banyan trees, Eucalytptus, bamboo and Acacia trees. We covered about 200 miles during the 8 hours of actual driving. We had numerous photo ops of 3 to 20 minutes. The natural landscape transformed itself several times during the course of the day.
The actual drive to Hana consists of 600 curves and 54 one way bridges that have to be negotiated . Most turns were taken at between 10 and 15 mph. One section of 30 miles was incredibly bumpy, almost bone jarring. Certainly it was an experience that will form a permanent memory hi-light. Both of us were exhausted by the time we reached Kihei again.
Friday 30 November 2012
November 28/29th. Maui vacation winds down.
November 28th
We drove up the North side past Kapaula to Honolua Bay. This part of the island is a natural preserve so it was a little isolated. I dropped Mary off at D.T. Fleming Beach Park. She just wanted to hang out on the lovely sandy beach. There were surfers and boogy boarders enjoying the meter high waves. There was a strong undertow so you had to be careful going in and out of the water.
It took the car and drove about two kilometres up the road to Honolua Bay. You have to park off the main road or you will get tagged and towed. After walked down a sand and rock strewn path I arrived at this protected bay. For the next hour and a half I enjoyed what I considered the best snorkelling of the trip. There were few people in the water and the bay was sheltered making for great conditions. I had bought an underwater (Nikon Coolpix AW 100 ) which got a good workout. I still cannot download the manual because of the wonky Internet in our condo.
We drove up the North side past Kapaula to Honolua Bay. This part of the island is a natural preserve so it was a little isolated. I dropped Mary off at D.T. Fleming Beach Park. She just wanted to hang out on the lovely sandy beach. There were surfers and boogy boarders enjoying the meter high waves. There was a strong undertow so you had to be careful going in and out of the water.
It took the car and drove about two kilometres up the road to Honolua Bay. You have to park off the main road or you will get tagged and towed. After walked down a sand and rock strewn path I arrived at this protected bay. For the next hour and a half I enjoyed what I considered the best snorkelling of the trip. There were few people in the water and the bay was sheltered making for great conditions. I had bought an underwater (Nikon Coolpix AW 100 ) which got a good workout. I still cannot download the manual because of the wonky Internet in our condo.
Wednesday 28 November 2012
Nov 28th
Nov 28th
Well it has been a long time since I posted anything about our trip. My cold was quite a downer and we spent another 2 days at the Manago Hotel in Captain Cook, totaling 4 days. We loved it there, the waitresses were so friendly, the food was great, the hot showers were amazing. Nothing like camping to make you appreciative of ordinary luxuries.
We checked out Ho'okena beach camping and it was nice but seemed a little rowdy, we were booked for the weekend. I really wanted to go back to the hot showers so we headed back to Manago. I am a bit sorry we didn't stay as the spinner dolphins are supposed to hang out in that bay early in the morning.
We did camp for 3 nights at Spencer Beach park, which was quite lovely. They had indoor showers that were not freezing cold. We had a nice level place to sleep in Mokio and there were a couple of secluded beaches we could walk to. Richard thinks he had the best snorkeling experience here and it was free! We met a woman who'd lived in Hawaii for quite a while in one of the pavilions while we were charging up my battery pack for my CPAP machine (for my sleep apnea). She told us how much native Hawaiians hate tourists and that they often poison drinks or put cut glass in them. I found this a bit hard to believe. She also told us some camper had left a cooler out with $50 worth of meat and camp back from a walk to find a group of rather large native Hawaiian men barbecuing everything. They were kind enough to invite him to eat his own food with them.
We then made our way to my favorite camp site of the trip, Kalopa state park. It was about 2000' above sea level in a rain forest. We did a walk through a nature trail that was very peaceful. We also drove to Waipi'o Valley, which is the last undeveloped valley on the big island. It is considered a sacred place and they'd rather you didn't drive from the viewpoint down to the valley unless you are invited. But of course many people are curious and if they have 4-wheel drive they charge on. Apparently lots of silly people have to get rescued as the vehicle they are unfamiliar with can't make it back up the hill.
We went to an amazing place called the World Botanical Gardens that also had a picturesque waterfall. The first day we went there we did not apply insect repellent. Big mistake. Operation "pasty legs" faced it's first real stumbling block. Granted I'm covered in bruises (from what I don't know) but my fluorescent skin was still mostly unblemished. Not so now, I am polka-dotted in the extreme! The bites don't itch and they aren't bumpy but they sure are red. We did another nature trail that had lots of beautiful flowers but the hibiscus were done and we walked along blossom-strewn pavement. We also saw some cool blue blossoms at the end of a private property, we later learned were from the Blue Jade plant. We came back the next day with bug juice in hand and had a much more pleasant experience along the orchid walk where we saw amazing flowers. We also took a short but muddy trek down to see a waterfall but weren't sure we could do the river walk without injury as it had rained heavily the night before.
We met some very friendly campers at Kalopa. I seemed to have great timing and whenever I went to the bathroom the woman was is some from of undress either showering or sponge-bathing. Kalopa also had inside showers but no privacy to speak of and very cold water. The lonely park warden told us it was called the "great big scream machine." It was very peaceful at the park and I could have stayed there much longer but Richard felt it was a bit creepy when the other campers left and we were all alone. The bird and frog songs were so beautiful. The ranger wasn't sure what bird the longest song came from but called it a melodious thrush. The foliage was too dense to ever see our serenaders.
We finally left Big Island and made our way to Maui. I love Maui, it's much more my style with hotels, condos, restaurants and shopping abound. We have a convertible Ford Mustang that is fun to drive and is allowing me to work on my farmer's tan quite well. Our condo is lovely with a comfortable queen sized bed and a well stocked fridge. I noticed immediately that we had a blender so we went out to buy supplies and Richard made up a batch of deadly Blue Hawaiian cocktails. I stumbled off to bed at 8 while he was watching some war movie on Netflix.
Our complex has two 5-story buildings, we are on the shady side in the morning and having breakfast on the lanai is lovely and cool. There is a decent sized pool, tennis court and a large green space between the two buildings where you can play on putting greens and barbecue your dinner on immaculate bbqs. There are stunning yellow hibiscus shrubs and palm trees off of our lanai and a good assortment of begging birds. We have mynas, doves and the dreaded house sparrow all giving us the eye. I have told them they are wild and have to fend for themselves but the twit in the unit next to us dumped about a cup of cheerios onto the lawn so we seem to have a confluence of birds. There is also one bossy shore bird that terrorizes all the others if they wander into his territory. Beyond the pool is a short bit of beach but it's pretty rocky so we haven't spent much time there.
My oh-so-annoying ear infection/feeling like I was underwater has subsided by about 90% now that we have gone up in the air again and landed on Maui. I no longer feel the need to ask if we are "having fun yet." We had a delicious dinner our first night in Maui at Coconut's Fish Place, named after a cat. I had island style fish tacos that were amazing. We talked with the owner who was very proud of his cat and we told him that we have the "cadillac of cats" at home and he demanded to know if our cat had a restaurant, we told him no, but that was the cat's human's fault, not the cat's.
The next morning we went to the "orientation" poolside. Lisa was very good and told us where things were in relation to our condo and then started trying to sell all the tours. We bought a Quicksilver snorkeling tour, tickets to Ulelena (a cirque du soleil style play about the people of Hawaii starting with the Polynesians and going up to today), tickets for a very fancy luau called Feast of Lele (a wedding gift from my friend Cathy in Ottawa) and a bus tour taking us up the Road to Hana (so Richard doesn't kill us in the Mustang).
So far we have gone on a tour of the Baldwin Sugar Factory, very educational. I am so grateful I was not an immigrant labourer who had to wear a self-sewn full body outfit with skirt and gloves to avoid getting centipedes crawling all over me, never mind the back breaking labour before processes became motorized. Good grief it was a hard life.
We had also bought some coupons for Atlantis Submarine through Costco so we went down two mornings ago and saw some cool fish and a wreck they had deliberately sunk to create an artificial reef. Richard was disappointed we didn't see more but it was kind of a neat thing to do. We stopped at the Aquarium and were quite impressed with their displays. There are so many interesting colourful creatures off the shores of Hawaii. I was a bit disappointed they didn't do a better job of labeling what species were in the tanks and need to do a bit of looking up of some of the fish I saw. I've decided the Moorish Idols are my favorite fish after seeing quite a few from the sub and then again at the aquarium. We came back to the condo in the late afternoon expecting a quiet dinner and then realized we were due to see Ulalena back in Lahaina, where we'd started off the day. Richard was not impressed that I'd muffed that up and we'd driven all the way home. Oh well. The play was interesting but I the Hawaiian mythology is a little weird from my perspective. They have a half hog-half man creature that was in love with Pele, the goddess of the Volcano. The execution of that was quite amusing and creative on stage.
Yesterday we were up early for the Quicksilver snorkeling tour. We got two seats in the upper part of the boat and had excellent views as we went to the snorkel sights. We were supposed to go to Molokini, a crescent shaped volcano crater that is partly submerged first, then to Turtle Town, a cleaning station where fish nibble off the parasites of the turtles backs, and then if town to a bay called Laperuse (I think) where spinner dolphins are often seen. Well the weather did not cooperate as it was quite windy. We went to Turtle Town first. We saw a turtle swimming in the ocean as we arrived but none in the water once we arrived. Other people (there were about 70 people on the tour) were luckier but I decided with my poor skills I'd stay on the fringes and not get kicked in the head. I saw lots of coral and many interesting fish once I calmed myself down and stopped hyperventilating. The waves were quite strong and Richard found it hard to photograph what he saw.
Next we went to Laperuse Bay and there was a volcano about 4 feet below sea level. I opted not to go back in the water and Richard said there weren't many fish and they were of the same sort we'd seen at the first stop. That was the official end of the cruise and we had a nice lunch aboard ship. As we headed back to the marina the captain gave a good spiel about who owned the fancy houses on the shoreline (David Bowie, Tiger Woods, Oprah to name a few), that someone from Oracle had won a bidding war against Bill Gates to buy a private island from a missionary family, how another missionary family had turned their private island into a 100% Hawaiian descendent only island that one must be invited to before going (good idea!). Then we saw maybe a dozen sea turtles and two pods of about 8 spinner dolphins, which were the highlights of the cruise! We had an american from Oregon behind us who kept flapping his jaw the whole time that made it hard to hear the captain much of the time and I thought about what a class act my Dad is and how we really only spoke when he had something worth sharing. Little did I know we'd come home to find out he'd passed this morning.
One of my major regrets is that Richard and my Dad never had a chance to really get to know each other (due to Dad's dementia). Dad was the smartest, most ethical man I've ever known and I've always had him on a pedestal. I will miss his wry sense of humour and having him to go to for advice. I often think of things I wished I'd asked him before the dementia robbed him of his memories and life experience. I did on occasion try to have a few heart to hearts with him but he was a very private man and did not talk about himself willingly. I do know though from the times he came to Ottawa and took me out for dinners when I was in university and all the one-armed hugs I got at airports how much he loved me even though it was always unspoken. It was through his very hard work and my mom's careful investing that my siblings and I received very generous inheritances before my parents died. I have often think throughout this remarkable journey that Richard and I are on for the next few months how my parents made this possible. Thank you Mom and Dad for your generosity!
After our boat cruise yesterday and a well-deserved nap Richard and I went out to a phenomenal Italian restaurant/bakery for dinner. Richard had a Guinness and I had Sangria Blanco and toasted my father and his wonderful life. We also had pretty awesome deserts, Richard had a crumble cake that he saved half of (such restraint!) and I had a tirimisu cheesecake that I scarfed down as fast as I could.
Today we have a free day and are going to head out to what is supposed to be a good snorkel spot before we come back and get changed for our fancy luau. I'm glad I will have an occasion to wear the one dress I packed.
Well it has been a long time since I posted anything about our trip. My cold was quite a downer and we spent another 2 days at the Manago Hotel in Captain Cook, totaling 4 days. We loved it there, the waitresses were so friendly, the food was great, the hot showers were amazing. Nothing like camping to make you appreciative of ordinary luxuries.
We checked out Ho'okena beach camping and it was nice but seemed a little rowdy, we were booked for the weekend. I really wanted to go back to the hot showers so we headed back to Manago. I am a bit sorry we didn't stay as the spinner dolphins are supposed to hang out in that bay early in the morning.
We did camp for 3 nights at Spencer Beach park, which was quite lovely. They had indoor showers that were not freezing cold. We had a nice level place to sleep in Mokio and there were a couple of secluded beaches we could walk to. Richard thinks he had the best snorkeling experience here and it was free! We met a woman who'd lived in Hawaii for quite a while in one of the pavilions while we were charging up my battery pack for my CPAP machine (for my sleep apnea). She told us how much native Hawaiians hate tourists and that they often poison drinks or put cut glass in them. I found this a bit hard to believe. She also told us some camper had left a cooler out with $50 worth of meat and camp back from a walk to find a group of rather large native Hawaiian men barbecuing everything. They were kind enough to invite him to eat his own food with them.
We then made our way to my favorite camp site of the trip, Kalopa state park. It was about 2000' above sea level in a rain forest. We did a walk through a nature trail that was very peaceful. We also drove to Waipi'o Valley, which is the last undeveloped valley on the big island. It is considered a sacred place and they'd rather you didn't drive from the viewpoint down to the valley unless you are invited. But of course many people are curious and if they have 4-wheel drive they charge on. Apparently lots of silly people have to get rescued as the vehicle they are unfamiliar with can't make it back up the hill.
We went to an amazing place called the World Botanical Gardens that also had a picturesque waterfall. The first day we went there we did not apply insect repellent. Big mistake. Operation "pasty legs" faced it's first real stumbling block. Granted I'm covered in bruises (from what I don't know) but my fluorescent skin was still mostly unblemished. Not so now, I am polka-dotted in the extreme! The bites don't itch and they aren't bumpy but they sure are red. We did another nature trail that had lots of beautiful flowers but the hibiscus were done and we walked along blossom-strewn pavement. We also saw some cool blue blossoms at the end of a private property, we later learned were from the Blue Jade plant. We came back the next day with bug juice in hand and had a much more pleasant experience along the orchid walk where we saw amazing flowers. We also took a short but muddy trek down to see a waterfall but weren't sure we could do the river walk without injury as it had rained heavily the night before.
We met some very friendly campers at Kalopa. I seemed to have great timing and whenever I went to the bathroom the woman was is some from of undress either showering or sponge-bathing. Kalopa also had inside showers but no privacy to speak of and very cold water. The lonely park warden told us it was called the "great big scream machine." It was very peaceful at the park and I could have stayed there much longer but Richard felt it was a bit creepy when the other campers left and we were all alone. The bird and frog songs were so beautiful. The ranger wasn't sure what bird the longest song came from but called it a melodious thrush. The foliage was too dense to ever see our serenaders.
We finally left Big Island and made our way to Maui. I love Maui, it's much more my style with hotels, condos, restaurants and shopping abound. We have a convertible Ford Mustang that is fun to drive and is allowing me to work on my farmer's tan quite well. Our condo is lovely with a comfortable queen sized bed and a well stocked fridge. I noticed immediately that we had a blender so we went out to buy supplies and Richard made up a batch of deadly Blue Hawaiian cocktails. I stumbled off to bed at 8 while he was watching some war movie on Netflix.
Our complex has two 5-story buildings, we are on the shady side in the morning and having breakfast on the lanai is lovely and cool. There is a decent sized pool, tennis court and a large green space between the two buildings where you can play on putting greens and barbecue your dinner on immaculate bbqs. There are stunning yellow hibiscus shrubs and palm trees off of our lanai and a good assortment of begging birds. We have mynas, doves and the dreaded house sparrow all giving us the eye. I have told them they are wild and have to fend for themselves but the twit in the unit next to us dumped about a cup of cheerios onto the lawn so we seem to have a confluence of birds. There is also one bossy shore bird that terrorizes all the others if they wander into his territory. Beyond the pool is a short bit of beach but it's pretty rocky so we haven't spent much time there.
My oh-so-annoying ear infection/feeling like I was underwater has subsided by about 90% now that we have gone up in the air again and landed on Maui. I no longer feel the need to ask if we are "having fun yet." We had a delicious dinner our first night in Maui at Coconut's Fish Place, named after a cat. I had island style fish tacos that were amazing. We talked with the owner who was very proud of his cat and we told him that we have the "cadillac of cats" at home and he demanded to know if our cat had a restaurant, we told him no, but that was the cat's human's fault, not the cat's.
The next morning we went to the "orientation" poolside. Lisa was very good and told us where things were in relation to our condo and then started trying to sell all the tours. We bought a Quicksilver snorkeling tour, tickets to Ulelena (a cirque du soleil style play about the people of Hawaii starting with the Polynesians and going up to today), tickets for a very fancy luau called Feast of Lele (a wedding gift from my friend Cathy in Ottawa) and a bus tour taking us up the Road to Hana (so Richard doesn't kill us in the Mustang).
So far we have gone on a tour of the Baldwin Sugar Factory, very educational. I am so grateful I was not an immigrant labourer who had to wear a self-sewn full body outfit with skirt and gloves to avoid getting centipedes crawling all over me, never mind the back breaking labour before processes became motorized. Good grief it was a hard life.
We had also bought some coupons for Atlantis Submarine through Costco so we went down two mornings ago and saw some cool fish and a wreck they had deliberately sunk to create an artificial reef. Richard was disappointed we didn't see more but it was kind of a neat thing to do. We stopped at the Aquarium and were quite impressed with their displays. There are so many interesting colourful creatures off the shores of Hawaii. I was a bit disappointed they didn't do a better job of labeling what species were in the tanks and need to do a bit of looking up of some of the fish I saw. I've decided the Moorish Idols are my favorite fish after seeing quite a few from the sub and then again at the aquarium. We came back to the condo in the late afternoon expecting a quiet dinner and then realized we were due to see Ulalena back in Lahaina, where we'd started off the day. Richard was not impressed that I'd muffed that up and we'd driven all the way home. Oh well. The play was interesting but I the Hawaiian mythology is a little weird from my perspective. They have a half hog-half man creature that was in love with Pele, the goddess of the Volcano. The execution of that was quite amusing and creative on stage.
Yesterday we were up early for the Quicksilver snorkeling tour. We got two seats in the upper part of the boat and had excellent views as we went to the snorkel sights. We were supposed to go to Molokini, a crescent shaped volcano crater that is partly submerged first, then to Turtle Town, a cleaning station where fish nibble off the parasites of the turtles backs, and then if town to a bay called Laperuse (I think) where spinner dolphins are often seen. Well the weather did not cooperate as it was quite windy. We went to Turtle Town first. We saw a turtle swimming in the ocean as we arrived but none in the water once we arrived. Other people (there were about 70 people on the tour) were luckier but I decided with my poor skills I'd stay on the fringes and not get kicked in the head. I saw lots of coral and many interesting fish once I calmed myself down and stopped hyperventilating. The waves were quite strong and Richard found it hard to photograph what he saw.
Next we went to Laperuse Bay and there was a volcano about 4 feet below sea level. I opted not to go back in the water and Richard said there weren't many fish and they were of the same sort we'd seen at the first stop. That was the official end of the cruise and we had a nice lunch aboard ship. As we headed back to the marina the captain gave a good spiel about who owned the fancy houses on the shoreline (David Bowie, Tiger Woods, Oprah to name a few), that someone from Oracle had won a bidding war against Bill Gates to buy a private island from a missionary family, how another missionary family had turned their private island into a 100% Hawaiian descendent only island that one must be invited to before going (good idea!). Then we saw maybe a dozen sea turtles and two pods of about 8 spinner dolphins, which were the highlights of the cruise! We had an american from Oregon behind us who kept flapping his jaw the whole time that made it hard to hear the captain much of the time and I thought about what a class act my Dad is and how we really only spoke when he had something worth sharing. Little did I know we'd come home to find out he'd passed this morning.
One of my major regrets is that Richard and my Dad never had a chance to really get to know each other (due to Dad's dementia). Dad was the smartest, most ethical man I've ever known and I've always had him on a pedestal. I will miss his wry sense of humour and having him to go to for advice. I often think of things I wished I'd asked him before the dementia robbed him of his memories and life experience. I did on occasion try to have a few heart to hearts with him but he was a very private man and did not talk about himself willingly. I do know though from the times he came to Ottawa and took me out for dinners when I was in university and all the one-armed hugs I got at airports how much he loved me even though it was always unspoken. It was through his very hard work and my mom's careful investing that my siblings and I received very generous inheritances before my parents died. I have often think throughout this remarkable journey that Richard and I are on for the next few months how my parents made this possible. Thank you Mom and Dad for your generosity!
After our boat cruise yesterday and a well-deserved nap Richard and I went out to a phenomenal Italian restaurant/bakery for dinner. Richard had a Guinness and I had Sangria Blanco and toasted my father and his wonderful life. We also had pretty awesome deserts, Richard had a crumble cake that he saved half of (such restraint!) and I had a tirimisu cheesecake that I scarfed down as fast as I could.
Today we have a free day and are going to head out to what is supposed to be a good snorkel spot before we come back and get changed for our fancy luau. I'm glad I will have an occasion to wear the one dress I packed.
Tuesday 27 November 2012
Sad news from home
My (Mary's) dad died peacefully today in Calgary. We are sad that we aren't home to share in my mother's and family's grief. It has been nice to see pictures on my nieces' Facebook pages of happier times with my dad as I don't have any with me. It's hard to believe he won't be there when we get home next year. I'm very glad he was able to attend our wedding in July. We will say our goodbyes and share many happy memories at a Celebration of Life service when all his family and friends can attend.
Saturday 24 November 2012
Nov 21st
Today we left Spencer Beach Park and drove around the North tip of the Big Island. The contrast in climate and vegetation was instantaneous as we crossed over the Kohala mountains. We went to Waipi'o Valley Lookout. This has religious, spiritual meaning to native Hawaiians. We then drove into Honoka'a Landing, which is an historic town. Kalopa State Park. Took a nature walk which talked about the flora and fauna found in this rainforest. They have between 100 and 150 inches of rainfall each year. Kalopa is at about 2200 feet elevation so hopefully tonight will be better sleeping.
Nov 20th
Our 3rd day at Spencer Beach Park. Mary appears to be getting better. The antibiotics seem to be helping her. I am sure it has been frustrating to her not being able to swim or snorkle.
This area is very arid, with desert like conditions. What makes it even more stark is the black lava which predominate the landscape. Daily temperatures are around 26 to 28 degrees and the humidity which kind of weird given how dry it is.
This park has a lovely beach, but there are more private ones down the coast. There is a major resort not 10 kilometres away.
We walked to one of these secluded beaches, which was about 2 kilometres away. The snorkling was alright, but nothing compares to that close to The Refuge historical site near Captain Cook.
During the weekdays these beach parks are quite nice, quiet at night and relaxed during the day.
This area is very arid, with desert like conditions. What makes it even more stark is the black lava which predominate the landscape. Daily temperatures are around 26 to 28 degrees and the humidity which kind of weird given how dry it is.
This park has a lovely beach, but there are more private ones down the coast. There is a major resort not 10 kilometres away.
We walked to one of these secluded beaches, which was about 2 kilometres away. The snorkling was alright, but nothing compares to that close to The Refuge historical site near Captain Cook.
During the weekdays these beach parks are quite nice, quiet at night and relaxed during the day.
Saturday 17 November 2012
A quiet day of resting
November 16th. Mary is still not well so we drove up the coast to Keauhou to find a walk in clinic. After contacting our health insurance provider to make sure Mary was covered she went in to see the doctor.He prescribed an antibiotic for a sinus infection. The hope is that will be the end of her illness.
We then drove to Ho'okena State Park which is located next a goregous beach. Wild hens and Roosters abound. Yes and there are Mongooses. Hope to photograph one, but they are elusive.
Mary was zonked out by the antibiotics so I got my snorkling gear. I swam offshore about 30/40 meters and was rewarded with a wide variety of fish , including,Reef Tigerfish, Moorish Idol,Yellow Tangs,Bird Wrasse, Spotted Boxfish, Pinktail Triggerfish,Yellowstriped Goatfish,White Spotted Puffer,and Ornate Butterfly. The current was swift so had to be aware of how close to the coral I was going.
After Mary woke we decided to head back to the Manago Hotel as Mary likes to take steam baths to relieve her congestion. She is a real trooper and does not complain much.
The hope is that the antibiotics begin to take affect today.
We then drove to Ho'okena State Park which is located next a goregous beach. Wild hens and Roosters abound. Yes and there are Mongooses. Hope to photograph one, but they are elusive.
Mary was zonked out by the antibiotics so I got my snorkling gear. I swam offshore about 30/40 meters and was rewarded with a wide variety of fish , including,Reef Tigerfish, Moorish Idol,Yellow Tangs,Bird Wrasse, Spotted Boxfish, Pinktail Triggerfish,Yellowstriped Goatfish,White Spotted Puffer,and Ornate Butterfly. The current was swift so had to be aware of how close to the coral I was going.
After Mary woke we decided to head back to the Manago Hotel as Mary likes to take steam baths to relieve her congestion. She is a real trooper and does not complain much.
The hope is that the antibiotics begin to take affect today.
Friday 16 November 2012
Nov 15, 2012 - Captain Cook - pics attached
Nov 15, 2012
We left our first campground today and headed back over the volcano. Stopped at a cool place called Akatsuka Orchid Gardens where they had the largest selection of tropical flowers on Hawaii. Absolutely stunning flowers and R took a lot of pics but needs to go to the Apple store in Kona and get something so he can download his pics onto his Ipad. Apparently everything smelled amazing but with my cold I can't smell anything.
Then we stopped in Volcano townsite and had lunch at Cafe Ono, which is rated #1 on Tripadvisor. The food was tasty but it took forever and we felt a bit stressed as the sun goes down around 5:30 and we had a campground to find. The cafe is at the back of an art gallery and we saw lots of pretty things but we are trying not to buy much as we have so far to go.
We found a famous black volcanic sand beach and saw half a dozen sea turtles napping on the shoreline. We didn't spend much time there but it was lovely with the trade winds and the waving palm tree fronds.
Fortunately, we hit our next campground around 3:00 or 3:30. It was a scary, creepy place in the desert. People came, used the pit toilets and boogied out of there. We hung up some laundry to dry and watched as the number of tiny moths grew...and grew. It was some like some biblical pestilence. Richard suggested we press on and find somewhere else to spend the night. Halleluiah! Now we were racing the sun and hoping we didn't run out of gas as we climbed up the west side of the island in the pouring rain. We found the Manago Hotel on trip advisor and they had room! It is a very interesting hotel, it's 3rd generation run by a Japanese American family. The room is largish, with a balcony, stand up shower and double bed. No t.v., no phone, no worries. It's very clean and the staff in the hotel and restaurant are so friendly and helpful. We had a delicious pork chop meal the first night and a great breakfast the next day. The prices are so reasonable. Richard didn't want to go back out in the downpour so I bought him a toothbrush for less than $2. Seriously?! I wish the drug store back home was so reasonable. Between the main building where the restaurant is they have a large Koi pond with gorgeous fish, a waterfall, and lush potted plants everywhere with a tiny pagoda statue. It is so serene and there are breezeways to get between the buildings so you don't get wet in the rain.
The owner gave us lots of ideas on what to do in Captain Cook (the town in which the hotel is located). We headed about 6 miles south and spent much of the day today in a National Park known as the Place of Refuge. Back in polynesian times if you walked in the shadow of the King or did other minor things it could mean death. But if you managed to get to a place of refuge you could be forgiven. We saw lots of cool structures that had original foundations of lava rock walls and thatched buildings that were recreations. We also went out to the tide pools and saw 3 green sea turtles and some tropical fish and sea urchins. We have also seen 3 mongoose crossing the roads, they are quite small and kind of slink across the road. R found a brilliant greenish yellow gecko that had regrown his tail and took a few pics of him. We also saw lots of black crabs that are well camouflaged that scurried across and skipped between the black lava flows.
After that we stopped at Saint Benedict's Painted Church. It was quite lovely.
We have seen some brilliant red plants along the sides of the road and today I realized they are poinsettias! They are so much bigger here. What R called "elephant ears" are actually anthuriums. We've also seen lots of angel''s trumpets, bird of paradise, hydrangea and plain old geraniums. We had a pretty dismal lunch at a bakery cafe and the highlight were some brightly coloured birds, yellow-billed cardinals and saffron finches, in the parking lot. We've also seen lots of Myna birds. Earlier we had stopped at a coffee factory looking for lunch only to find a fine rooster strutting his stuff. Lots of overpriced coffee and macadamia nuts. We are in the coffee belt but given all the doctoring I do to my coffee I just don't need to taste all the different kinds.
We had planned on going to an ethnobotanical garden and possibly on a tour of a coffee plantation after lunch but my cold is kicking my butt and we took the rest of the day off. Tomorrow we want to go to the beach next to the National Park where we can snorkel with the sea turtles and check out our next campsite this is about 2 miles away. If I'm still feeling wretched we might just try to stay at our lovely little hotel.
The painted church
One of my favorites, pink bougainvillea
We left our first campground today and headed back over the volcano. Stopped at a cool place called Akatsuka Orchid Gardens where they had the largest selection of tropical flowers on Hawaii. Absolutely stunning flowers and R took a lot of pics but needs to go to the Apple store in Kona and get something so he can download his pics onto his Ipad. Apparently everything smelled amazing but with my cold I can't smell anything.
Then we stopped in Volcano townsite and had lunch at Cafe Ono, which is rated #1 on Tripadvisor. The food was tasty but it took forever and we felt a bit stressed as the sun goes down around 5:30 and we had a campground to find. The cafe is at the back of an art gallery and we saw lots of pretty things but we are trying not to buy much as we have so far to go.
We found a famous black volcanic sand beach and saw half a dozen sea turtles napping on the shoreline. We didn't spend much time there but it was lovely with the trade winds and the waving palm tree fronds.
Fortunately, we hit our next campground around 3:00 or 3:30. It was a scary, creepy place in the desert. People came, used the pit toilets and boogied out of there. We hung up some laundry to dry and watched as the number of tiny moths grew...and grew. It was some like some biblical pestilence. Richard suggested we press on and find somewhere else to spend the night. Halleluiah! Now we were racing the sun and hoping we didn't run out of gas as we climbed up the west side of the island in the pouring rain. We found the Manago Hotel on trip advisor and they had room! It is a very interesting hotel, it's 3rd generation run by a Japanese American family. The room is largish, with a balcony, stand up shower and double bed. No t.v., no phone, no worries. It's very clean and the staff in the hotel and restaurant are so friendly and helpful. We had a delicious pork chop meal the first night and a great breakfast the next day. The prices are so reasonable. Richard didn't want to go back out in the downpour so I bought him a toothbrush for less than $2. Seriously?! I wish the drug store back home was so reasonable. Between the main building where the restaurant is they have a large Koi pond with gorgeous fish, a waterfall, and lush potted plants everywhere with a tiny pagoda statue. It is so serene and there are breezeways to get between the buildings so you don't get wet in the rain.
The owner gave us lots of ideas on what to do in Captain Cook (the town in which the hotel is located). We headed about 6 miles south and spent much of the day today in a National Park known as the Place of Refuge. Back in polynesian times if you walked in the shadow of the King or did other minor things it could mean death. But if you managed to get to a place of refuge you could be forgiven. We saw lots of cool structures that had original foundations of lava rock walls and thatched buildings that were recreations. We also went out to the tide pools and saw 3 green sea turtles and some tropical fish and sea urchins. We have also seen 3 mongoose crossing the roads, they are quite small and kind of slink across the road. R found a brilliant greenish yellow gecko that had regrown his tail and took a few pics of him. We also saw lots of black crabs that are well camouflaged that scurried across and skipped between the black lava flows.
After that we stopped at Saint Benedict's Painted Church. It was quite lovely.
We have seen some brilliant red plants along the sides of the road and today I realized they are poinsettias! They are so much bigger here. What R called "elephant ears" are actually anthuriums. We've also seen lots of angel''s trumpets, bird of paradise, hydrangea and plain old geraniums. We had a pretty dismal lunch at a bakery cafe and the highlight were some brightly coloured birds, yellow-billed cardinals and saffron finches, in the parking lot. We've also seen lots of Myna birds. Earlier we had stopped at a coffee factory looking for lunch only to find a fine rooster strutting his stuff. Lots of overpriced coffee and macadamia nuts. We are in the coffee belt but given all the doctoring I do to my coffee I just don't need to taste all the different kinds.
We had planned on going to an ethnobotanical garden and possibly on a tour of a coffee plantation after lunch but my cold is kicking my butt and we took the rest of the day off. Tomorrow we want to go to the beach next to the National Park where we can snorkel with the sea turtles and check out our next campsite this is about 2 miles away. If I'm still feeling wretched we might just try to stay at our lovely little hotel.
The painted church
One of my favorites, pink bougainvillea
Thursday 15 November 2012
Nov.14th update
Ok it is early morning on the 15 th. Today we drove afar bit. Stopped at a fantastic little restaurant/art gallery called Cafe Ono, rated number one on trip advisor for restaurants in the Volcano region. They even had a pet goat called Gilbert and gorgeous botanical gardens. Next we stopped at an orchid nursery which has a world reputation for their many varieties of orchids. It has been raining off and on all day. Storm fronts seem to blow through this region quite frequently.
The landscape is quite barren with stark black remnants of past eruptions evident everywhere. Vegetation tries to etch out an existence . We stopped off at this world famous black lava bleach and Hawaiian Green Turtle refuge. What an incredible site. The black lava is almost crystalline as it simmers in the sunlight. The Trade winds are strong today so there were lots of big waves rolling in. We saw a group of 5 green turtles soaking up the sun on the beach. They had signs asking that you respect their privacy by staying back at least 3 meters.
Next we drove to our backsite, Makuna State Park, unfortunately it was not at all what we expected. We both decided to drive on . This area of the Big Island gas stations are few and far between. The Westphalia van we have has a wanky gas gage so we need to fill up every 300 kilometres or so .Mary was able to find a 4g connection and we decided to book into a hotel tonight. She a found a basic hotel called The Mandago hotel which had a good rating for cleanliness , friendly people and tasty food. The hotel was built in 1917 and has been family owned and operated by 3 generations of a Japanese family. It is like stepping back in time,the back area where the rooms are also has a private part for family members with huge Koy fish,and a gorgeous traditional garden. I forgot to tell you that it started raining heavily, and continues to do so right now.
I think this is a good choice as it will allow Mary to hopefully get better sleeps. We might stay a second night but will wait and see what the day brings.
The landscape is quite barren with stark black remnants of past eruptions evident everywhere. Vegetation tries to etch out an existence . We stopped off at this world famous black lava bleach and Hawaiian Green Turtle refuge. What an incredible site. The black lava is almost crystalline as it simmers in the sunlight. The Trade winds are strong today so there were lots of big waves rolling in. We saw a group of 5 green turtles soaking up the sun on the beach. They had signs asking that you respect their privacy by staying back at least 3 meters.
Next we drove to our backsite, Makuna State Park, unfortunately it was not at all what we expected. We both decided to drive on . This area of the Big Island gas stations are few and far between. The Westphalia van we have has a wanky gas gage so we need to fill up every 300 kilometres or so .Mary was able to find a 4g connection and we decided to book into a hotel tonight. She a found a basic hotel called The Mandago hotel which had a good rating for cleanliness , friendly people and tasty food. The hotel was built in 1917 and has been family owned and operated by 3 generations of a Japanese family. It is like stepping back in time,the back area where the rooms are also has a private part for family members with huge Koy fish,and a gorgeous traditional garden. I forgot to tell you that it started raining heavily, and continues to do so right now.
I think this is a good choice as it will allow Mary to hopefully get better sleeps. We might stay a second night but will wait and see what the day brings.
Wednesday 14 November 2012
Nov 14, Mary's POV
Nov 14,
Our first day was quite exhausting, we got up at 4:30 a.m. and headed off to the Calgary airport. Glad we allowed 2 hours to get through customs and security. Flew to Salt Lake City, then mayhem... The plane we were supposed to take to Honolulu was leaking oil so they wouldn't fly it over the ocean but had no problem after making us wait around for hours in putting us on it and flying us to SEATTLE! Finally made it to Honolulu after our outbound flight to Hilo on the big island had left so Delta put us up in an airport hotel and we left for Hilo the following morning.
Got picked up by the nice folks at Happy Campers and got acquainted with Mokio Gecko, our green westfalia van that we are CAMPING IN. As much as I would like to be the Judy Dench character in Best Exotic Marigold Hotel who adapts easily and is kind and helpful I am learning that really I'm just the bitchy nutjob who hates everything different. I really should just be an armchair traveler who looks at videos of exotic places. Actually it's not all that bad. We were a bit disappointed with our first campsite at Isaac Hale but are learning that maybe its a good campsite. Seems like it would be nice if we were tenting. The pluses are it's got potable water and outdoor showers. Nothing I'd rather do that squeeze myself into a bathing suit and stand under a stream of refreshing water and try to get clean. On the good side, the bed is relatively comfortable, we are completely dry when the heavens open up and when it is a clean night we can open the skylight and see the millions and millions of stars and listen to the frogs croaking at night. In the morning we are serenaded by beautiful bird songs. We haven't seen any of the vibrantly coloured birds of hawaii but there are tiny brown jobs that are about the size of hummingbirds, morning (mourning?) doves, and something pretty that is black with a yellow beak. The palm trees and other vegetation is lush and gorgeous. We got a bit lost in a mango grove when we were first trying to find our campsite. In fact our campsite is very hard to find given we have no sense of direction and there are very few helpful signs anywhere. Last night I looked at my detailed spreadsheet and found very clear directions that I'd typed months ago. Doh!
We have seen pink, red and yellow hibiscus, vibrant pink bougainvillea, red elephant ears and several other beautiful things that we don't know the names of. Oh, and coconut trees, we're careful not to sit under the coconuts as we've seen some smashed at the base of the trees. Haven't really gone in the ocean yet as we both have colds, & no alcohol to date (could these be the reasons I'm cranky?). We have seen immense lava fields and gone up to the volcano national park and seen the caldera with the smoke (sulphurous vapour) pouring off of it. We also walked through a lava tube, which was very cool!
Very few bugs and Richard claims to have seen bats swooping around eating moths at night through our skylight but without my glasses I can only see the brightest stars. We have brought a ton of luggage given that we are traveling for 3 1/2 months and find we have to constantly organize twice a day when getting the bed set up and down. We have a cooler but no fridge so we are constantly buying ice but we finally found a block at a good grocery store today. We have a propane bbq and a propane stove. Richard has quickly realized he has to do "everything" and that "my ignorance keeps revealing itself". Frankly, he has no idea my parents sent me to Pioneer Ranch Camps, the all girls Christian camp as a teen where I learned everything I need to know (changing the tire on a 3/4 tonne truck & shooting a .22 caliber rifle) or I would be significantly more princessy than I actually am. I think this has convinced him that it's a good thing we aren't backpacking around oceana and that once we leave the big island the camping portion will be over.
Food prices are a bit shocking. We paid over $US 6 for a loaf a bread in one sketchy place. We were ripped off with a smile though, so it's all good. It rains without warning but so far during the day it has been light and short. It did pour for a bit last night, but again we were quite snug in our Mokio Gecko. Speaking of geckos, I have seen one a few times on the ceiling of the campground bathroom. I also saw a relatively small millipede wander by. Richard assures me they and the cockroaches will be HUGE in Australia. Awesome.
Well, I should sign off we found 1/2 hour of free wifi at an awesome coffee shop in Pahoa. Oh ya, every place name seems to be full of K's, L's and P's and lots of vowels and neither Richard and I can pronounce anything so finding our way with a map is hilarious.
Oh ya, and back to the skylight, the first night I felt some light raindrops on my face and leapt out of bed to start winching it shut, so picture me crouching and winching and farting over Richard's head as fast as I can. Thank goodness he slept through all of that! Ha ha ha ha.
Mary out!
Our first day was quite exhausting, we got up at 4:30 a.m. and headed off to the Calgary airport. Glad we allowed 2 hours to get through customs and security. Flew to Salt Lake City, then mayhem... The plane we were supposed to take to Honolulu was leaking oil so they wouldn't fly it over the ocean but had no problem after making us wait around for hours in putting us on it and flying us to SEATTLE! Finally made it to Honolulu after our outbound flight to Hilo on the big island had left so Delta put us up in an airport hotel and we left for Hilo the following morning.
Got picked up by the nice folks at Happy Campers and got acquainted with Mokio Gecko, our green westfalia van that we are CAMPING IN. As much as I would like to be the Judy Dench character in Best Exotic Marigold Hotel who adapts easily and is kind and helpful I am learning that really I'm just the bitchy nutjob who hates everything different. I really should just be an armchair traveler who looks at videos of exotic places. Actually it's not all that bad. We were a bit disappointed with our first campsite at Isaac Hale but are learning that maybe its a good campsite. Seems like it would be nice if we were tenting. The pluses are it's got potable water and outdoor showers. Nothing I'd rather do that squeeze myself into a bathing suit and stand under a stream of refreshing water and try to get clean. On the good side, the bed is relatively comfortable, we are completely dry when the heavens open up and when it is a clean night we can open the skylight and see the millions and millions of stars and listen to the frogs croaking at night. In the morning we are serenaded by beautiful bird songs. We haven't seen any of the vibrantly coloured birds of hawaii but there are tiny brown jobs that are about the size of hummingbirds, morning (mourning?) doves, and something pretty that is black with a yellow beak. The palm trees and other vegetation is lush and gorgeous. We got a bit lost in a mango grove when we were first trying to find our campsite. In fact our campsite is very hard to find given we have no sense of direction and there are very few helpful signs anywhere. Last night I looked at my detailed spreadsheet and found very clear directions that I'd typed months ago. Doh!
We have seen pink, red and yellow hibiscus, vibrant pink bougainvillea, red elephant ears and several other beautiful things that we don't know the names of. Oh, and coconut trees, we're careful not to sit under the coconuts as we've seen some smashed at the base of the trees. Haven't really gone in the ocean yet as we both have colds, & no alcohol to date (could these be the reasons I'm cranky?). We have seen immense lava fields and gone up to the volcano national park and seen the caldera with the smoke (sulphurous vapour) pouring off of it. We also walked through a lava tube, which was very cool!
Very few bugs and Richard claims to have seen bats swooping around eating moths at night through our skylight but without my glasses I can only see the brightest stars. We have brought a ton of luggage given that we are traveling for 3 1/2 months and find we have to constantly organize twice a day when getting the bed set up and down. We have a cooler but no fridge so we are constantly buying ice but we finally found a block at a good grocery store today. We have a propane bbq and a propane stove. Richard has quickly realized he has to do "everything" and that "my ignorance keeps revealing itself". Frankly, he has no idea my parents sent me to Pioneer Ranch Camps, the all girls Christian camp as a teen where I learned everything I need to know (changing the tire on a 3/4 tonne truck & shooting a .22 caliber rifle) or I would be significantly more princessy than I actually am. I think this has convinced him that it's a good thing we aren't backpacking around oceana and that once we leave the big island the camping portion will be over.
Food prices are a bit shocking. We paid over $US 6 for a loaf a bread in one sketchy place. We were ripped off with a smile though, so it's all good. It rains without warning but so far during the day it has been light and short. It did pour for a bit last night, but again we were quite snug in our Mokio Gecko. Speaking of geckos, I have seen one a few times on the ceiling of the campground bathroom. I also saw a relatively small millipede wander by. Richard assures me they and the cockroaches will be HUGE in Australia. Awesome.
Well, I should sign off we found 1/2 hour of free wifi at an awesome coffee shop in Pahoa. Oh ya, every place name seems to be full of K's, L's and P's and lots of vowels and neither Richard and I can pronounce anything so finding our way with a map is hilarious.
Oh ya, and back to the skylight, the first night I felt some light raindrops on my face and leapt out of bed to start winching it shut, so picture me crouching and winching and farting over Richard's head as fast as I can. Thank goodness he slept through all of that! Ha ha ha ha.
Mary out!
Nov.14th,2012
Sorry to everyone for our tardiness. Internet cafes on the Big Island are few and far between. The adventure started on Nov. 11 th at 4:30 am . It took an hour and a half to checking and go through U.S. security. We basically walked down to our gate and it had started boarding.
In flight our pilot informed us we might have to divert from Salt Lake to another airport. Fortunately we were able to handle despite a horrible snow storm which was hitting the whole Midwest. The fun really began then with mechanical problems that were notresolved even after 3 hours. It was decided by Delta that we fly to Seattle hub to switch planes, fun. It took another hour to get loaded then finally on our way. Another hour in Seattle to switch lanes so we were over 4 and a half hours behind.
We arrived in Honolulu missing our connection to the Big Island. had to stay overnight in Honolulu. Finally took 7:20 Hawaian Air to Hilo on Big Island the next day. frustrating beginning. Also Mary and I both brought colds with us.
Had an hour orientation for the Westphalia camper Van we will be using for the next 12 days. Nice people, a fellow by name of Jake was very thorough. These vans are all about 20 years old but they still work well.
In flight our pilot informed us we might have to divert from Salt Lake to another airport. Fortunately we were able to handle despite a horrible snow storm which was hitting the whole Midwest. The fun really began then with mechanical problems that were notresolved even after 3 hours. It was decided by Delta that we fly to Seattle hub to switch planes, fun. It took another hour to get loaded then finally on our way. Another hour in Seattle to switch lanes so we were over 4 and a half hours behind.
We arrived in Honolulu missing our connection to the Big Island. had to stay overnight in Honolulu. Finally took 7:20 Hawaian Air to Hilo on Big Island the next day. frustrating beginning. Also Mary and I both brought colds with us.
Had an hour orientation for the Westphalia camper Van we will be using for the next 12 days. Nice people, a fellow by name of Jake was very thorough. These vans are all about 20 years old but they still work well.
Saturday 10 November 2012
The day is finally approaching
Well it is down to the last day, a hectic one at that. We are both glad to leave Calgary and the snow for Southern climes.
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